5 Things You Should Add to Your Pizza Dough

If you’re a pizza purist I’ll warn you now: this blog about pizza dough might not be for you. On the other hand, if you like to experiment with your pizza as much as I do, then read on! Today’s blog is all about non-traditional ingredients you can add to your pizza dough. We all know the basic ingredients of pizza dough, but there are some other ingredients that can help with flavor that aren’t very commonly used in pizza dough recipes.

Pizza Dough Flavor Enhancers

Barley Malt Syrup – Barley malt syrup is used to add flavor and sweetness to dough. If you use a dough recipe that calls for sugar, try substituting this instead. Not only will you get a hint of sweetness and a slight improvement in browning, you’ll also get some extra flavor. Anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon can be used, depending on the size of your dough recipe.

Herbs – Herbs, whether dried or fresh, are a great way to pack extra flavor into your dough. Pick one or more herbs like rosemary, oregano, or dill for an easy and cheap flavor boost. One to two teaspoons of herbs should be plenty for your average batch of pizza dough

Infused Oils – Increasing in popularity, infused oils like truffle oil, rosemary oil, roasted garlic oil, and sage oil are all interesting flavors to experiment with when making dough. Depending on how strong the oil is, anywhere from one to three teaspoons will do the trick.

Garlic – When it comes to cooking, garlic is almost universal. Italian cuisine has garlic in a good majority of its recipes, which makes it perfect for pizza. If you’re a garlic fan try throwing a little chopped garlic in your next dough recipe. Roasted garlic is also a great way to incorporate a more mellow, yet complex garlic flavor in your dough. Start with one to two teaspoons of fresh garlic, or two to three teaspoons of roasted garlic (or roasted garlic oil) and work your way up from there.

Beer – I must admit, I haven’t tried this one but it sounds delicious! Even if you aren’t a fan of drinking beer, the yeasty and malty flavors beer can provide is sure to go well in a batch of pizza dough. These days there are a ton of different types of beer, so you have many choices when it comes to what type of flavor you’d like to add to your dough. Start by replacing 25% of the total amount of water your recipe calls for with a beer of your choice.

For even more dough additive ideas, check out our pizza cookbook Pizza: From Every Day to Gourmet.